6-Day Hotan Kashgar Taklimakan Desert Tour
Route: Hotan – Taklamakan Desert Camping – Yarkent – Kashgar – Karakul Lake – Tashkurgan
Activities: This tour offers essence of Kashgar, Hotan and Taklamakan Desert. It is most suitable to those who has limited time and also want to learn more about Uyghur culture, custom and history. Because the tour only focuses to Kashgar and Hotan which is center for Uyghur culture, custom and history in Xinjiang.
Day 01
Place & Transport: Arrival to Hotan
Today’s Activities: Hotan Airport Pick Up and Hotel Transfer
Place to Stay: Hotan
Your will meet with our guide and be transferred to your hotel in Hotan.
Day 02
Place & Transport: Hotan Tour & Desert Camp
Today’s Activities: Hotan Bazzar, Sunday Market, White Jade River, Jade Factory, Taklamakan Desert
Place to Stay: Taklamakan Desert Camping
After breakfast we will visit Hotans amazing Sunday Market, a huge lively market which is like taking a journey back in time, experiencing donkey gridlock.. Hotan is particularly famous for its high quality Jade products, the best Jade in China being found here in the White Jade River . We will visit the river and try to find some Jade for ourselves and watch the locals at work digging and sifting for the precious rock. We will also visit the white Jade factory to see how the Jade is processed and made into jewelry and ornamentsin the afternoon we will take a camel ride out into the Taklamakan Desert and camp over night here. We will enjoy a camp fire dinner and breakfast in the desert.
Note: We will provide you with all the necessary camping equipment, tents, sleeping bags and blankets etc.
Day 03
Place & Transport: Hotan to Kashgar
Today’s Activities: Yarkent Golden Graveyard, Tomb of Aman Nisahan, Yarkent Old Town, Yegisar Knife Factory
Place to Stay: Kashgar
Golden Graveyard.This graveyard dates from the 17th Century and is the burial place of Royal family members of the Yarkand Uyghur Kingdom . Next to this is the Tomb of Aman Nisahan, the wife of the second King of the Yarkand Kingdom . Aman Nisahan is a famous Uyghur poet, musician and composer. She is most renowned for her transcription of the Twelve Mukam of famous traditional Uyghur music. We will enjoy a traditional lunch of corn noodles, pumpkin dumplings and kebab in a local Yarkand teahouse. After lunch we will continue our journey Yegisar . Yegisar is the most famous region in Xinjiang for making traditional Uyghur knives. We will have the chance to visit one of the many knife factories here and view the making process and purchase souvenirs.
Day 04
Transport: Kashgar to Tashkurgan then to Karakul Lake
Today’s Activities: Opal Village, KKH, Corner Lake, Karakul Lake, Kyrgyz Family Visiting
Place to Stay: Karakul Lake Kyrgyz Style Yurt
Today we take a drive on Karakoram highway, renowned as the highest paved border crossing in the World and regarded as one of the World’s most beautiful highways). We will see the following on our drive: Opal village is a 1 hour drive from Kashgar. It is a good location to take photos of village life and traditional activities like bread making and Uyghur food stalls. Half an hour drive from the village we will arrive in Oytagh Red Mountain. The mountain valley is surrounded by a beautiful backdrop of multi-colored mountains topped by snowcapped peaks. Corner Lake (Bulung Kul) is a tranquil shallow lake where you can take very nice photographs of the lake with stunning reflections of the sand mountains. Karakul Lake is 3600 meters above sea level. It is located between Mt. Muztagata (7546 meters) and Mt. Gonger (7719 meters), which are said to be 2 of the 6 most beautiful mountains in the World.
This region is commonly known as the main branch of the “Old Silk Road” the main route leading from China to West Asia . The average elevation is 4000 meters.Stone fort, located in downtown Tashkorgan. It has a history of more than 2000 years, when in times gone by it was the home of the King of the Tajik kingdom. We will hike across the Tashkorgan grassland under the watchful gaze of Mt. Mutztah Ata and Mt. Pamir .We will trek around the lake for about 4 Hours then visit the local Kyrgyz Yurts and listen to their stories about traditional ways of nomadic mountain life. We will arrange for you to spend the evening with a local Kyrgyz family in their Yurt, where you will be able to experience the different culture and language of this traditionally nomadic people. you will be staying in a traditional Kyrgyz yurt.
Note: you are not allowed to stay over night with Locals in their yurt so you stay in traditional Kyrgyz yurt near the lake.
Day 05
Place & Transport: KKarakul Lake to Kashgar then Kashgar City Tour
Today’s Activities: Apak Hoja Tomb, Sunday Market, Old Town, Id Kah Mosque, Handicraft Street
Place to Stay: Kashgar
We’ll take the Karakorum Highway back to Kashgar, arrive in Kashgar bu lunch time. We will begin our tour of Kashgar City by visiting the Apak Hoja tomb also called fragrant concubine tomb (Xingfei in Chinese). This is a very tranquil place and a beautiful example of Uyghur Islamic architecture. Next we will head to the Infamous lively Sunday market renowned as the biggest market in Central Asia. It is said you can buy anything you want from the Sunday market except chicken milk and Cow eggs. After lunch we will wander through the narrow winding streets of the historic Old town brushing shoulders with the friendly Uyghur residents. Located at the spiritual heart of old town is Id Kah Mosque, the largest mosque in China. We will go inside and have the chance to understand a bit more about the Islamic life of the Uyghur people. We will pass down Handicraft Street where we can view pots being hammered, wood craftsmen at work and traditional musical instrument workshops.
Note: For entering the Mosque visitors should dress respectfully, no shorts or short sleeved shirts and women should cover their heads with a scarf.
Day 6
Place & Transport: Flight Out
Today’s Activities: Hotel to Airport
After breakfast, we will take you to Kashgar airport for your next destination.
